His Mate
by fuzzy1713
Summary: Natsu and Lucy share a single night together, but the next day Natsu claims to have forgotten the whole thing which leaves Lucy heartbroken and confused. Weeks later Lucy finds out she's pregnant. As the life she knew crashes down around her, how will she move on & raise her child on her own without Natsu knowing it's his own? How long before Natsu's own secret emerges?
1. Chapter 1

_ "Luce." I glanced up from my writing to see Natsu sitting casually on my bed, the window open behind him. _

_ Sighing, I gestured to it with my hand. "How many times have I asked you not to climb into my room? Can't you just knock for once in your life?" I rolled my eyes at him before returning them to my book. I'd grown used to him breaking into my apartment and besides a short lecture every now and again I couldn't really bring myself to care anymore. _

_ "Lucy," I heard Natsu get up softly, but I did my best to tune his noise out. I'd been experiencing some intense writer's block for the past 15 minutes and I wasn't willing to give in just yet. I had promised to have the next chapter to Levi by tomorrow and I still hadn't reached a good stopping point. Biting my bottom lip, I slowly brought my pen to the paper but before I could write anything down, I felt a heavy hand fall gently on my shoulder. Surprised I turned again to see Natsu inches from me. Glancing up at his face I saw that his eyes were dark and filled with an emotion I'd never seen on him before. If I didn't know anymore I would have labeled it as lust. _

_ "Natsu...are you okay?" I asked, leaning backward in an effort to create some space between us. In response to my movement, Natsu leaned forward further, bringing his face close to my own. His breath mixed with mine and I could smell alcohol heavily in it. "Did you get in another drinking contest with Cana, Natsu? I know you hate losing but haven't you figured out by now that that is one challenge you can't possibly win?"_

_ "No Lucy." I frowned in confusion and he continued. "I'm not okay, I'm hungry. Starving really." _

_ "Alright, well if you move, I'll go make you something to eat." I tried to move around him but suddenly his lips were pressed against mine. Startled I tried to pull back, but his hand snaked up my arm and to the back of my head, holding me firmly against him. _

_ After a minute or two, he pulled back slowly, his pitch black eyes looking into mine. "I don't want food Luce. I want you."_

* * *

Jerking awake, I stared up at my ceiling for a moment. Heat was coursing through my veins and I struggled to suppress it. It had been almost three weeks since our hookup and I had been dreaming about it ever since. At the time it had been the best night of my life, but now...it brought me nothing but pain.

"Lucy!" I flinched at the sound of my partner. For once, he remained outside my apartment, but I knew if I didn't responded quickly he'd be up here in flash

Without moving, I called back to him, "I'll be right out Natsu, just give me a minute to get dressed." When he didn't reply I figured he got the message and slowly climbed out of bed.

I made my way to my bathroom. Closing the door, I went to the sink and splashed some water on my face before looking at myself in the mirror. My eyes were red and had deep bags underneath them; I couldn't remember falling asleep last night, which meant that I must have cried myself to sleep again. Ever since that night three weeks ago I'd been miserable, but I did my best to hide it from everybody. It wasn't like I could exactly explain it to them or that if I did they could make me feel better.

Taking a deep breath, I thought over what had happened that night and what had followed afterwards. Natsu had been drunk, I'd known that immediately, but as soon as he had started kissing me I had forgotten that fact. Besides he had seemed plenty in control of his actions. So I had given into the feelings I'd been repressing for the past few months and slept with him. Shortly after falling asleep however, I had woken up to find myself alone; Natsu gone sometime in the night. Despite that, I had been happy. Natsu and I felt the same way for each other. Our night together was proof that he loved me too; or so I thought. Yet when I arrived at the guild, I found that I was wrong. So wrong. Natsu remembered nothing about our night together, apparently he couldn't remember anything after getting in a drinking contest with Cana. I'd been heartbroken upon hearing that and to make matters worse, he spent the rest of the day glued to Lisanna's side. Things had only gotten worse since then. About two weeks later I had started feeling nauseous around certain foods and I was late by over a week. For days I'd been avoiding the inevitable, but deep down I knew. So last night I had left the guild earlier than usual and bought myself a pregnancy test and sure enough, it came out positive.

"Lucy?" Startled, I cried out. Spinning around, I saw Happy floating in the doorway to my bathroom. "Sorry. It was just taking you so long. Natsu sent me to make sure you were alright."

Smiling weakly, I nodded. "Of course Happy. Why don't you and Natsu go ahead to the guild? I'll be right there. There's just a few things I have to take care of first." He nodded once before his face turned mischievous.

"Does it involve fish?" Taking a deep breath, I shook my head.

"No Happy it does not. I have one in the fridge though. Why don't you go ahead and take it. I need to go to the store soon anyway." He smiled and raced towards me; giving me a hug.

"Thanks Lucccyyyy!" Seconds later he was gone and I was free to continue getting ready.

* * *

Upon reaching the guild, I quickly took in where everyone was: Natsu sure enough was shoveling down food and seated next to Lisanna who was conversing with her sister; Erza was arguing with Grey about his stripping problem while Juvia looked on from afar; and Gajeel was seated by himself watching a certain bluenette from the corner of his eye. Following his gaze, I spotted my best friend and quickly made my way over to her.

"Levy." Glancing up from her book, she smiled up at me.

"Hey Lucy, how are you?"

Without bothering to answer her question, I spoke hurriedly. "I need to talk to you. It's important." Immediately Levy's face grew serious and she closed her book as she stood up. She followed me as I walked towards the back of the guild where there was a room we normally went to whenever we needed to gossip or just have some alone time.

As soon as the door was closed, Levy turned on me. "What's going on Lu-chan?"

I bit my lip. I had never told her about the whole Natsu and me thing to begin with and now it seemed so much harder. "I need you to let me finish before you say or ask anything. okay?" She nodded, miming zipping her mouth shut. I giggled slightly at her action before starting. "Well, I don't know how much you've noticed but something's happened recently and it's kind of big. Really big actually. Levy...I'm pregnant." I paused as her mouth dropped open; questions filling her eyes. "And before you ask, you're the first person I've told and I just found out last night. I've suspected for a while now though and I'm scared Lev because the father doesn't even remember us having sex and it's not exactly something I can just tell him. And it hurts Levy, that he can't remember because I'm pretty sure I'm in love with him and that he's in love with someone else and that even if I did tell him what happened it wouldn't mean anything to him or even worse he'd view it as a mistake and I can't handle that Levy. I'm already going to be raising this child, this beautiful creature, by myself and that'll be hard enough, but if I tell him and he tells me it was a mistake...I think it would break me. I couldn't handle it Levy. I couldn't." By the end of my explanation, tears were streaming down my face and Levy had tears in her own eyes.

"Oh Lu-chan! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Oh that doesn't matter. What matters is that you won't go through this alone. The entire guild will be there for you. All of us: me, Erza, Mira, Grey, Wendy, and Natsu too!" At his name, my sobs increased and Levy seemed to realize her mistake. "Lucy...was it...it was...?" She seemed unwilling to say his name again and I nodded. "But if it's...he doesn't remember?"

I shook my head. "It was after he got drunk. He came to my apartment and it just happened...but the next day he told everyone he couldn't remember a single thing from the night before. I was so happy Levy, how could he forget?" Levy pulled me against her in a tight hug as sobs racked my entire body. Everything I had been doing my best to hold in and keep from everyone was spilling out all at once and as painful as it was to explain it all, it also felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

"I don't know Lu-chan. I really don't."

We stayed like that for a few minutes; until my tears had slowed. "Thanks Levy, I needed that."

She smiled briefly at me as she pulled away before her face grew serious again. "Lucy are you going to tell him?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But I think I have to...I just don't want to either."

"He deserves to know. And you know he would never abandon you. You're his best friend." I flinched at the label and Levy grimaced apologetically.

"I know. I'm just scared. He clearly has feelings for Lisanna and I wouldn't be surprised if she was his mate at this point. If I tell him it could ruin all that for him. I don't want to be the reason he's miserable for the rest of his life." Levy shook her head.

"This couldn't possibly make him miserable Lucy. Your his namaka. Besides we don't know that Lisanna is his mate. For all we know you really are his mate and he just really did forget! I know you don't see it but to me and everyone else it's always seemed like Natsu had feelings for you." I smiled at her and shook my head sadly.

"I don't think so Lev. It just doesn't seem all that likely." Levy gripped my hands tightly in her own.

"Lu-chan. Promise that until you know for sure you won't give up. Natsu loves you. I know it." Outwardly I smiled and nodded my agreement, but inside I was adamantly in disagreement. There was no way that Natsu loved me as anything more than a friend. However, if it appeased Levy I'd find out for sure.

"How about I talk to Gajeel? Find out from him before I confront Natsu?" Levy cocked her head to the side but nodded her agreement. "Alright. Well we better go back outside before someone starts wondering what we're doing back here."

Right on cue there came a knock to the door, "Luce?" I closed my eyes briefly at Natsu's voice. Opening them, I saw Levy mouth the words 'You okay' at me to which I nodded.

Walking to the door, I pulled it open. "What's up Natsu?" He studied me for a moment before giving me his signature grin.

"Great news!" I raised my eyebrow at him as Levy slipped out the door.

"And what would that be Natsu?" His grin seemed to falter for a moment but when I blinked it seemed as permanent as ever.

"I talked to Lisanna, Erza and Gray and we've all decided to go on a job." I blinked at him, ignoring the pit in my stomach.

"When are we leaving?" His grin fully slipped away and his face grew serious.

"Well, actually Luce," He raised his hand to scratch the back of his head nervously. "I was- I mean we were kind of hoping to keep it to just us four." My eyes widened and his dropped to the floor as he continued. "Before Lisanna disappeared, we were going to form a team just the four of us and now that she's back...we wanted to..." He trailed off unsure how to continue.

For a moment I only stared at him in shock. As much as I had expected Lisanna to take back the place I had filled while she was gone, I had never expected this. Natsu and I had been partners since he had first brought me to the guild, but here he was throwing it all in my face. All but telling me I had only been a replacement for the girl he had lost. Despite the betrayal and hurt I felt, a part of me recognized this as a blessing. Now I wouldn't have to come up with an excuse for not going on jobs until I was ready to tell the guild the truth. I was free to refrain from going on any dangerous or difficult missions that would be deadly for the human being growing in my stomach. All the same, it hurt to know my friends were in fact not truly there for me.

"Oh, my mistake!" I laughed to cover the strain in my voice. "Sorry. Of course you guys would want to go back to how things used to be! I should have seen it myself sooner. You guys really will be the strongest team now." Natsu's head snapped up at my words, his eyes drilling into my own.

"That's not what this is about Luce." I shivered at the intensity in his gaze and glanced away.

"I just meant that I was fine with it Natsu. You don't need to worry about me. I understand." My eyes roamed the guild behind Natsu and landed on Gajeel, my promise to Levy flashing into my mind. I didn't want to wait to confirm what I already knew to be true. "If you'll excuse me, I need to talk to someone..." Without waiting to hear Natsu's reply I quickly strode past him and towards the frightening Iron Dragon Slayer. Currently his eyes were focused onto a certain solid-script mage who had returned to reading her book.

"Gajeel?" Red eyes flashed to meet mine and I smiled weakly at him. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute.." He raised an eyebrow, but nodded slowly. When he didn't move, I awkwardly gestured towards the guild doors. "In private? It's not exactly a conversation I'd like for others to over hear." His normally expressionless face turned questioning, but he stood and walked with me out of the guild.

When we were a few meters away, he turned to me. "Whatcha got to say Bunny-girl?"

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I avoided his speculating eyes as I talked. "It's about Dragon Slayers...and their mates or whatever you call them." I paused wondering if he would say anything, when he didn't I quickly continued. "If a Dragon Slayer found his mate would he know?"

Gajeel studied me for a moment before answering, "Yes and no. It's not exactly cut and dry. We have one mate, but we wouldn't necessarily know as soon as we lay eyes on them. A dragon and their mate have an unbreakable bond and it takes time to develop."

"How much time?'

"Years. And that's if they spend almost every day together. Otherwise...decades." My eyes widened at his words. The entire process seemed complicated and exhausting. To wait so long for the person you were meant to be with? It sounded horrible. I could feel my curiosity burning; wanting to know more, but I still hadn't received an answer to the question I'd been avoiding. The one question I needed an answer to.

"Would they know it was their mate if they...mated with her." I winced internally at my own words; my eyes focused intently on a pebble between my feet.

"That's not exactly something we could forget." With those words all my hope came crashing down around me. So I had been right. There was no way that Natsu and I could ever really be together. I wasn't his mate. I wasn't anywhere close to that. Just a one night stand.

"Thanks Gajeel..." Thankfully my voice had remained steady, but even I could hear the obvious pain in my words.

"Why-" I shook my head and finally raised my eyes to meet his.

"For my novel. Levy told me that I should do some research before I continue writing this one scene I had planned out. She recommended a book, but I figured there was nothing more accurate than an actual Dragon Slayer. So thanks. You really helped me out." I smiled brightly at him before I turned to head back to the guild; not missing the critical look in his eye. I hadn't exactly fooled him, but I figured for the time being it didn't matter. Natsu would be leaving with Lisanna and the others on their mission soon and I could figure out how to cover myself after that. All that really matter was that Natsu remained clueless.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! New update for this story today! Sorry its short and more of a filler chapter, but I promise to have the next chapter up soon. Thanks for all the awesome reviews and follows/favorites! It made me feel great :) I'll do some actual responses to your comments on the next update because I'm currently on my ipad and it's too difficult without a computer but I wanted to get this up for you guys. Plus I'm lazy ;) Okay. Enjoy**

**BTW: I (sadly) own nothing.**

* * *

Walking back into the guild hall, my eyes connected with Levy's and I slowly shook my head. Immediately, she closed her book and made to get up, her mouth already open, but before she could say anything another voice called out my name.

"Lucy!" Breaking eye contact with Levy, I turned to see Lisanna approaching me. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course!" I smiled, but my stomach had turned sour at her words. I liked Lisanna, I really did. She was as sweet and kind as her sister, but I couldn't control the part of me that was a little hateful towards her. Her return had been the beginning to my life falling apart.

"Great." She smiled and walked with me over to the bar. "It's about Team Natsu; I wanted to make sure you were really alright with everything."

"Why wouldn't I be? I understand that if you hadn't disappeared you and Natsu would have been partners. It wouldn't be fair for me to expect things to stay the same.I just filled in for you and now that your back, it's only right for you to be his partner." Lisanna shook her head sharply, her pretty blue eyes wide.

"You weren't a replacement Lucy. Please don't think that." I nodded, but I knew she was wrong. If I hadn't been a replacement for her than why was I getting kicked off Team Natsu? "Besides it'll only be for this one mission. After that all five of us-"

"No," I interrupted. "It won't Lisanna. Natsu, Erza, Grey and you make a far better team then we ever did. It's for the best; there are some things I need to take care of before I go on any more difficult jobs anyway. Honestly," I placed my hand on her arm and smiled the sweet smile I'd been trained to give all my life in order to hide my true emotions. "I'm happy for you. Don't worry about me. If you want something to worry about, worry about Natsu."

Lisanna cocked her head sideways at me, "what do you mean?"

I laughed. "That idiot almost always destroys something. Especially when Erza and Grey tag along. If your not careful you won't get any reward and end up owing the town money."

"Oh right! I forgot how chaotic things can get around Natsu." We laughed for a moment.

"What job are you taking anyway?"

Lisanna shrugged, "Natsu picked it and I didn't pay that close attention to it. I think we have to break-up a dark guild that's been bothering a town. It shouldn't take more than a few weeks."

I raised my eyebrows, dark guilds weren't something easily dealt with and it was surprising for such a difficult job to not be an S-class request. But I supposed with all four of them the dark guild didn't stand much of a chance. "When are you leaving?"

Lisanna glanced at the clock before standing up. "Now actually." My stomach dropped at her words. I had every intention of telling Natsu, but not today. "Everyone else is already waiting at the train station for me. I just wanted to talk to you first. Are you sure you're alright? You're welcome to come along."

I bite back a bitter laugh at her words. Already she acted like she had always been their teammate. Thinking over my reply, my hands lingered over my abdomen for a brief moment before I shook my head no. "I promise I'm fine. You better hurry, Erza's not one for waiting." Lisanna smiled and pulled me in for a short hug before racing off towards the doors.

For a few minutes I remained at the bar, staring into space, thinking over all that had happened today. In the course of a few hours, my entire life had changed. Not only had I been kicked off of Team Natsu, but I'd found out I was pregnant with a child who's father had no semblance of feelings for me-at least not how I cared for him. Suddenly a heavy weight seemed to settle on me and all my energy vanished. I was drained; emotionally and physically. All I wanted was to go home and crawl into my bed.

"Do you want anything Lucy?" I glanced up with heavy eyes to see Mira looking at me from behind the bar, a slightly worried expression on her face.

"No, I'm actually going to head home." Mira glanced at the clock, surprise written on her face.

"Are you feeling sick?"

"No, just tired. I have a lot going on." Mira's mouth twitched as if she wanted to say something but she stopped herself. Flashing her a weak smile, I got up and made my way back to my apartment.

* * *

Pushing open the door to my building, I sighed at the sight of my land lady standing between me and the stairs. Rent was due soon and no doubt she wanted to haggle me about it.

"Ms. Heartfilia!" I flinched as her harsh eyes landed on me. "Your rent is due at the end of the week, don't you forget again." I grumbled at her under my breathe. "What was that?"

I smiled flatly at her, "I said, don't worry ma'am. I'll get it to you on time. Now if you don't mind, I really need to get up to my apartment..." I attempted to squeeze past her large frame, but she thrust her hand out and grabbed my arm.

"Wait a moment missy," releasing me, she reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a letter. "This came for you today. A friend of yours is coming to visit. A man friend." Her eyes narrowed at me suspiciously.

"You read it!?" She huffed angrily at me.

"It's my duty! To think you would allow another man to stay with you. Why in my day-" Before she could continue, I grabbed the letter out of her hand and dashed up the stairs, my exhaustion forgotten in the wake of my annoyance.

"How dare that old toad read MY mail." I muttered to myself as I unlocked my door and slammed it shut.

Pulling out the letter, my eyes quickly scanned the familiar writing and I smiled upon seeing it was from my old friend, Jason.

_Lucy,_

_It's been ages since we last saw each other and I know_

_it may seem a bit rude of me, but I need your help._

_My father has disowned me in light of my recent, shall we_

_call them, escapades._

At that part, I giggled. No doubt he had been caught in bed with another servant. Probably a male this time if it was enough to get him kicked out of his parents house.

_Anyway, as I am now and forever cut off, I need somewhere_

_to stay. It would be only for a short period of time; until I am_

_able to find a place of my own that is. I shall arrive within a_

_few days of this letter. So you better be excited, because you_

_have little choice in my visit._

_-Jason_

I rolled my eyes at Jason's words. He never had been one to ask permission despite what society dictated as 'proper'. That had been part of the reason we had been fast friends; neither of us had been content with the roles we'd been born into and the expectations that had come with them. I was happy to have him, but it was slightly inconvenient that he would be coming so suddenly...

Raising my head, I glance around my suddenly small apartment. Compared to what Jason was used to, my house would be...uncomfortable to say the least. Besides, I only had one bed. I could go out and buy sleeping bad or even an inflatable mattress, but that would cost jewels. Jewels that I couldn't afford to waste.

I bit my lip as I struggled to come up with a solution. Maybe I could sleep on the couch...? Glancing over at it I shuddered at the idea of trying to rest easily on the slim cushions. As a short term solution that might have worked, but I had no idea how long Jason would be staying. Aries wool would have been plenty soft to sleep on, but it would disappear as soon as she returned to the celestial realm, and I couldn't call on her every night. It wouldn't be fair. Perhaps Levy or someone at the guild had a spare mattress or something I could barrow for a week or two.

Sighing, I turned to my dresser and pulled out a fresh pair of pajamas. First thing tomorrow I would have to go hunt down something for me to sleep on while Jason was here. For now, all I wanted to do was sleep and forget about the world and my growing list of problems.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey again guys! This chapter was really hard for me to write, I can already feel the writers block coming for this story and I'm only three chapters in! :( I promise to try my best and update regularly at least once a week, but there won't be a set day or anything, in case you were wondering. Thanks again for all the reviews and follows/favorites! I can't express how happy they make me. :D Hope you guys all like Jason, and let me know if there's anyone you think he'd sound good with or that you'd like to see his with. Oh and Juvia, Grey, Levy Gajeel and Lucy & Natsu (obviously) are out. I stick to my ships sorry.**

**DarkLily003: First reviewer! Thanks so much, I don't know if I would call this perfection but it means alot that you thought so :3 **

**lilpumpkingirl: I know what you mean about there being a generic story line that most people have written about regarding this plot, but I promise that I have my own little twist to it. Thanks for reading this though and I hope I don't let you down! **

**Hikari: I don't know if writers are ever not afraid of what people think haha but I'm glad that you like this story! Glad you like it and I'll try to keep my updates frequent :) **

**Alright and btw I don't like doing spoilers so you can keep guessing but I'm not going to tell you what's going to happen :) Keep up the reviews they make me want to write more and find out what you all think!**

* * *

Jason arrived three days after his letter. For the days before that I had been preparing; I'd gotten a spare bed from Mira one day, gone sopping for food another and spent the final day making sure my entire apartment was spotless.

Jason had arrived in one of his father's carriages which had been completely decked out in gold detail and followed by another carriage that had a number of suitcases which rivaled Erza's normal travel amount. Seconds after they had stopped, Jason casually stepped out of the first.

"Princess Lucy Heartfilia." His face was expressionless, and I bit back a giggle as I struggled to keep my face as impassive as his.

"Lord Jason Butler." We both managed to bow to each other before breaking into laughter.

"I still can't believe you used to call yourself that when you were younger!" Jason teased.

"I was five. I wanted to be a princess! And hey I wasn't the one who constantly had to be fawned over!" Jason shrugged.

"Perfection deserves to be acknowledged ."

"Well as soon as I see it I'll let you know." I winked and he rolled his eyes, a smile still plastered on his face.

"So this is it huh? You gave up all that wealth for this place?" I raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled. "I love it Princess, I should have done this years ago. Would have saved my parents the shame of having a bi-curious son." He continued to gaze at my apartment building as if nothing was wrong, but I knew that deep down he was hurt. He'd always struggled to hide that part of him from his parents for fear that they would reject them. It angered me that when they had found out they had lived true to what he had always suspected and kicked him out.

"Hey, Jace," Jason turned his head slightly and looked at me curiously. "Get your lazy ass in gear. I'm not carrying all this stuff in by myself." He grinned crookedly at me and followed me over to the second carriage where we both started unloading all his stuff.

Once we had gotten everything inside, both Jason and I collapsed on my couch. "Mavis, Jace. What is all that stuff? Bricks?"

"My clothes mostly. A few have shoes..." I stared at him in shock for a moment before raising one of my pillows and smacking him on the head with it. "Ow, Lucy! What was that for?!"

"If you have that much clothes, why don't you sell it and get your own apartment!" Jason rolled his eyes.

"I can't sell them!" He caressed a nearby bag and I resisted the urge to groan. "They're all very important to me. What happened," he turned to look at me again. "To the Lucy Heartfilia who would sooner sell her soul then give up one of her precious outfits?"

"She realized that if she didn't want to be homeless, she had to give up a few things. There're things more important than clothing you know."

A look of utter horror crossed over Jason's face. "Lucy! That's blasphemy!"

I laughed, "I've had so many of my outfits completely destroyed by a mission or Natsu that..." As his name passed my lips, I found myself recalling all that Jason's visit had been distracting me from.

"That what?" A look of concern passed over his face. "Why do I get the feeling that something important happened; and I don't mean just my visit." He laughed but trailed off when I didn't join in. "Seriously Lucy. What's wrong? Who's Natsu?"

"He's my...well he was my partner." Jason's eyes widened and he smacked my arm. "OW!"

"You had a boyfriend and you didn't tell me?! Lucy I thought we were closer then that!"

"He wasn't my boyfriend!" I rubbed my arm where he hit me. "That hurt you idiot. We were part of a team together is what I meant. At first it was just him and me we were partners together and then two other people. Erza and Gray, joined us and we all sort of became a team together. It was great..." I glanced down at my hands that were clasped together tightly.

"So what happened then?" I shrugged.

"Things sort of fell apart I guess. This girl, Lisanna, had disappeared for a really long time and everyone thought she was dead, but then she came back. Well, we sort of found her, and when we did, everything just started to change. Natsu started to spend more time with her and Erza and Grey even seemed to distance themselves from me and then...Natsu just kicked me off the team. That's it, Jace." Jason studied me for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nope, there's something else that you're not telling me. I can tell, we've known each other too long for you to be able to lie to me like that." I stubbornly remained silent and Jason sighed. "Well, if you won't tell me than I'm going to just figure it out for myself." Jason looked at me for a moment later, as if waiting for me to start talking. When I didn't he leaned back and stared at the ceiling as he started to talk. "Well, let's see...obviously your hurt from getting kicked off the team, but it didn't seem as if it was that hard for you to talk about, which means that's not what's really bothering you. So what is? You seem a little...angry about Lisanna girl coming back. No that's not it. You're happy that your friends are happy, but there's something there. Maybe it's not that she's back but that your team was spending less time with you. So maybe your jealous? But you've never been the type to get possessive about your friends...maybe it wasn't a friend making you jealous. Maybe it was someone you liked. So let's see, you mention a Natsu, Gray and Erza. Obviously it can't be Erza since she's a girl and unlike me you don't play for the opposite team. Well I play for both, but that's beside the point. There's not anything you aren't telling me is there Lucy?" I glared at him and he laughed. "Well then, Erza's out so that leaves Gray and Natsu. You glossed over Gray so I doubt that its him which means Natsu is the only option left. So you were jealous because your partner was spending more time with this new girl then with you? So you like this Natsu guy? You've always had a thing for summer, so I guess that makes sense." He nudged me and I faked a laugh which only made him narrow his eyes at me. "That's not all there is though, otherwise you would have flipped out by now...but I'm close. There's just something I'm missing. I doubt I'm going to get any more from you though, maybe I need to do some research first. Where's this guild of yours then? If I go down there and start asking the right questions I'm sure someone will be able to-" He made to get up and I threw my hand out to stop him.

"Alright! God I'll tell you." Jason grinned wickedly at me, I'd forgotten how easy it was for him to read people. Which was stupid of me since it coincided with his magic. "You were right. Natsu was-is special to me. But he likes Lisanna which makes sense because she's his mate."

"Mate?"

"He's a Dragon Slayer." Jason's eyebrows rose.

"Damn, Lucy you know how to pick them don't you? The guy must be pretty strong and ripped." An image of Natsu's sculpted chest flashed into my mind and I blushed which made Jason laugh. "I'll take that as a yes!"

"Shut up! Anyway, there was an incident...and to make a long story short I'm pregnant." Jason's eyes grew wide.

"I'm sorry what?! You can't just drop that on someone!" He exploded at me, standing up.

"You're the one who was pushing and asking questions!" I yelled back, getting up after him

"Well duh! I thought you were going to tell me that you were in love or you had a love triangle going on! Something exciting! Not that you were going to be blowing up like a balloon in a few months!" My mouth dropped open and I collapsed back on the couch.

"I hadn't even thought about that...I'm going to be so fat."

"Like a weeble. You know the saying: Weebles wobble but they don't fall down." Jason laughed at his own joke.

I glared at him. "Remind me why I'm letting you stay here again?" Jason's face fell and he pouted at me.

"Aww come on Lucy, you don't mean that." I sighed and hung my head.

"You're right. About that and the other thing."

"Look on the bright side! You'll never have to worry about falling over and not getting back up!" I smacked him. "Okay, okay. Time to be serious."

I smiled briefly at him, "What am I going to do though Jace? My friend, Levy, thinks I should tell him and that Natsu's just being stupid and that I'm really his mate, but I know that's not true."

"Why not? And wait, you haven't told him yet?"

"No, he doesn't even remember that we ever even had sex. He was drunk and woke up the next day without any memories of the night before. And I know I'm not his mate because I asked another Dragon Slayer friend of mine, and he confirmed that there's no way Natsu would have forgotten if I was his mate. Which pretty much just leaves Lisanna and he just got her back. I don't want to ruin it all for him. If he found out, he'd leave her and all his chances for real happiness to help me. I can't do that to him. I won't." Jason stared at me for a moment, as if stunned.

"You really love this guy, huh?" I blushed and nodded my head slightly. "Alright then, if you don't want to tell him and you're absolutely positive he doesn't feel that way about you, then the only solution is for you to not tell him. Which means you'll need to come up with someone else who knocked you up. Do you have any male friends who'd be willing to do that for you?"

I bit my lip and went through all the guy friends I had. Immediately my mind went to Gray, but then I thought of how Juvia would react to that. I gulped, there was no way I could ask him; at least not if I wanted to stay alive. There was Gajeel, but I knew that no matter how much Levy denied it she had feelings for him and asking him would screw that up. Which left Loke. If I asked Loke he would no doubt agree, but then again he was such a player he might actually take it as an invitation for us to go out together and there was no way that was happening. Crap. I was so screwed. I opened my mouth to tell Jason there wasn't anyone when it hit me. Jason! Jason could pretend to be the father! No one at the guild knew him so it would be easy to pretend that he and I had a one night stand and I'd gotten pregnant.

"Jace," I smiled widely at him and his eyes narrowed. "My dear, wonderful friend Jason."

"Oh no. I am not pretending to be the father. I love you Lucy, but not that way and I'm not going celibate for you either." I pouted for a moment, then brightened again.

"You don't have to! We can tell everyone that we'd hooked up, woken up together and realized it was a huge mistake and that we wanted to stay friends anyway! It's perfect."

"Except the part where I look like a douche who got a girl he didn't care for pregnant!" My face dropped and tears filled my eyes.

"Natsu isn't like that Jason." He opened his mouth to retort, but stopped himself. "Please Jason, you're my last hope." A tear rolled down my cheek and dropped onto my hands.

Jason sighed, and sat down beside me again. "I didn't mean it in that way Lucy."

"I know." I truly knew he hadn't, but I still refused to meet his eyes. Even if he hadn't meant them, his words were true. Well besides the douche part. Natsu had slept with a girl that he had no real feelings for. No matter what lie I told the guild, I would always know the truth.

"Alright. I'll do it." My head snapped up and I stared at Jason in shock. "Don't get me wrong though Lucy, I'll still be hooking up with anyone at your guild that catches my eye." He winked and I laughed through my tears.

"Jason, thank you. Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me. Anything you want I'll-" He covered my mouth with his hands.

"Okay princess. Slow down. One, you don't owe me anything. I'm already crashing at your house and two, don't mention it. If we want to pull this off you and I can't ever talk about it. I doubt it'll be easy to trick all your friends. " I nodded since I still couldn't speak since his hands were in the way. "Now all this drama of yours has made me hungry. Think I could fix us up something to eat while you go clean yourself up?" I nodded again and he stood up.

"Jason..." He held his hand out for me and I took it. Once I was standing he pulled me in for a quick hug.

"Lucy, you've always been there for me. It's time I return the favor. " He released me and chuckled. "Now go clean yourself up. Seriously you're a mess. It looks like you were attacked by a bird or something." My mouth dropped open as he strutted away towards my kitchen.

"BAKA!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: What can I say I was in a writing mood which is good for you lot I suppose! :) It sounds like most of you like Jason which is good :) No one has given their opinion to who he should be with which is fine since I already have two people in mind, I was just curious as to what you wonderful people thought (or he could end up with himself which is good too ;p) Keep up the great reviewing! If you have questions or ideas feel free to pm me and I'll be sure to respond! Thanks again, you all have no idea how happy you make me :3**

**Oh and before I move on to the reviews I just want to clear something up first: Jason is not gay. He's bisexual which means he likes guys AND girls. Sorry, but I wanted to make that clear. A few of you didn't seem to catch on to that and there's a big difference between the two. Alrighty, thanks again!**

**rebelliousOracle: Awww don't cry! I'm trying not to make this story really sad! Cheer up, Natsu will be back soon and then the truly fun stuff will begin.**

**wereguardian: I don't know if I'd say Jason was nice, more like a sarcastic little shit. haha I'm glad to know he's leaving a good(ish) impression!**

**PS if you guys could give me some criticize too that would be great; I want to keep improving, so bring on that hate ;) Alright enough of boring old me, story time: **

* * *

"So, Lucy, we've come up with this brilliant lie to tell all your guild mates, but I have yet to even meet any of them." I glanced up from the omelet I'd made for the two of us to see Jason pointing his fork at me accusingly. "It's been practically a week since I got here and you've dragged me everywhere there is to go in this city except for Fairy Tail."

"There's just so much that I wanted to show you and honestly Fairy Tail really isn't that exciting." I took another bite of my breakfast as Jason shook his head.

"That's bullshit and you know it is, princess. You're just avoiding your problem. They're going to find out sooner or later and I bet your friends are wondering where the hell you've been. I swear the other day you dragged us around for half an hour before we went home because you saw someone you knew heading towards your apartment. I thought that Natsu guy was out on a job or whatever. It's better to get the whole story set before he even gets back."

I sighed and nodded. "You're right. I just don't know how I'm going to tell everyone. It'll be awkward...but I suppose I should just get it over with. Fine; we'll go over there today." I chewed on my food for a moment before I remembered something. "We need to make a stop first though."

Jason's eyes narrowed again, "I swear Heartfilia if you try to worm your way out of going to that guild today I will personally drag your ass there and-" I raised my hands cutting him off.

"We're going! I just need to give my friend, Levy, the heads up. I already told her it was Natsu so she needs to be in on everything first."

* * *

Jason and I were knocking on the door to Fairy Hills less than an hour later. Shortly after the door opened to reveal Wendy. "Hi Lucy!" Her eyes flickered to Jason in surprise but she remained silent.

"Hey Wendy, is Levy here? I really need to talk to her." Wendy smiled and nodded.

"Yepp, I'll go get her. Unless your friend wants to wait outside...?" Jason jammed his elbow in my side and I shook my head no.

"Thanks Wendy, but we'll wait here. Oh and I'll introduce you two later. He'll be coming to the guild so you can meet him then alright?" She nodded once before disappearing back inside the dorm.

"What did she mean while I wait outside?"

"Boys aren't allowed in the girls dorm." I shrugged.

"Well now I'm curious. Can't you sneak me in? I'm half male, at the most, doesn't that count?" I shook my head.

"If you want to deal with all the pissed off mages in there be my guest. Have fun with a girl who can turn you to stone with one glance, an elemental mage, a sharpshooter and a dragon slayer."

"On second thought, its much nicer out here." He paused, "how many Dragon Slayers does Fairy Tail have anyway?! You're crawling with them!" Jason's face contorted into a look of horror mixed with confusion and I burst out laughing.

"Lu-chan?" I looked up to see Levy staring at us from the front of the building. "Where have you been?" She rushed over and wrapped me in a hug. "I've been worried sick! After you told me," she glanced at Jason and lowered her voice slightly. "That you're pregnant. I was really concerned about you but then you disappeared! I didn't know what to think."

"Oh, I'm sorry Levy! Jason here arrived and I was getting him set at my house and then showing him the town. I just kind of forgot-" Jason coughed and I flashed him a glare. "To come let you know how I was doing. Forgive me?" She nodded and pulled me in for another hug.

"Forgiven." She let me go and turned to look at Jason, holding out her hand. "I'm Levy."

"Damn it I had a great pick up line already planned..." Levy raised her eyebrows and glanced at me.

"Quit screwing around and introduce yourself. Besides, this one's off limits. Someone's already got his eye on her." I nudged Levy with my elbow and she blushed prettily.

"Princess you take the fun out of life." Jason turned back to Levy and bowed over her hand, sweeping it into his own and kissing it lightly. "Jason Butler, at your service." He winked and her already pink face grew redder.

"And that is why I never take you anywhere." Jason stood back up and stuck his tongue out at me childishly. "This is my childhood friend Jason. He's going to be staying with me for a while and he's agreed to help me out with my little...problem which is why we came to talk to you before heading to the guild."

"I was about to head there now. Should we go together?" I nodded. Before we turned to make our way to the guild, I happened to glance up and see a flash of blue hair duck away from the window. Had someone been listening in? We were too far away for anybody to hear... Besides there was no way they would hear what Levy had whispered to me. Right?

* * *

"Lucy...I don't know. I thought you were going to tell Natsu the truth?" Levy gave me a hard look and I grinned sheepishly. We'd just finished telling her our plan and she'd already raised plenty of doubts. All of which both Jason and I had struggled to respond to. Hopefully this would be the last.

"I know, but I'm positive Lisanna and him are mates. I can't risk ruining that for him. Please promise me that you'll go along with this." Levy sighed and glanced at Jason.

"And you're willing to go along with this? No offense but you don't seem like a one girl kind of man."

Jason shrugged then flashed us a wicked smile. "I'll go along with it if it's what Lucy wants. But I never have and never will be a one woman or man kind of guy. Lucy knows that." Levy's mouth dropped open and I laughed.

"Jason likes to...experiment. And more often than not they blow up in his face. Literally." Jason frowned for a moment then tilted his head acknowledging the truth in my statement. "Anyway, I told him that he's free to date whomever he wants. He's just going to be the father. Not my boyfriend."

"What can I say. I get bored quite easily. There has yet to be anyone who can completely capture my attention. Levy, my dear, are you sure-"

"No!" I shouted at him before he could even finish. "Levy is off limits, get it through your skull. You keep it up and Gajeel will beat you to a pulp."

"He's the other Dragon Slayer right?" I nodded and Jason bulked. "On second thought even your beauty isn't worth ruining my perfection. Sorry Levy." We giggled as Jason began to stroke his face.

"Speaking of Gajeel, what did he say when you talked to him? You never told me." My laughter immediately died away and I studied my feet.

"Like I said. There's no way I'm Natsu's mate." Both Levy and Jason stopped walking, Levy's hand reaching out for my own.

"Lu-chan..." Levy trailed off unsure how to begin.

I gently untangled my fingers from hers and struggled to smile. "It's fine really Levy. It hurts now, but I'd rather just see Natsu happy."

Jason scoffed and Levy glanced sharply at him. "Princess what happened to you? Get a little selfish. You want this boy to be happy, then make him happy: with you. Or move on and find some other tail to keep yourself entertained. Screw love. Take it from me, strings only tie you down. It's much more fun to play the field. Both if you can."

"Lucy, don't listen to him. I don't know what Gajeel said but I'm sure-" I shook my head.

"No, Levy. Gajeel was right. And so is Jason," Levy gave me a hard look and I quickly amended my words. "Well, he's half right. I have to stop wallowing in self pity and move on." Jason brightened and opened his mouth to talk but I stopped him. "Which does not in any way mean that I'm going to be playing the field. Just that I'm going to go back to being friends with Natsu. Just friends. That's it." Even to me it sounded as if I was trying to convince myself so it didn't surprise me when both Levy and Jason looked skeptical.

"Well if your sure that's what you want; then yes, I'll go along with this lie of yours. I don't like it, but I'll do it for you Lucy." I smiled and grabbed Levy's hands.

"Levy I really could not ask for a better friend. Thank you!" She smiled softly and nodded towards the guild which was less than a block away.

"Are you ready to let everyone in on your little secret?" For a moment I froze. I'd spent so much time thinking about what to tell everyone that I hadn't even considered the moment itself. Was I really ready to let the whole guild know that I was pregnant? It wouldn't be long until I started showing symptoms and they figured it out for themselves. At this point I really didn't have much of a choice.

"It's now or never I guess." I smiled weakly at her and she returned it with one of her own.

"Well, ladies," Jason held out both his arms for us to take. "I suppose it's time to finally introduce my wonderful self Fairy Tail."

Glancing at me before she took Jason's arm, Levy murmured, "Let's hope they're ready..." before the three of us continued towards the guild.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay I want to apologize in advance for this chapter. I know it sucks. Big time. I just really didn't know how to write it and I (as you) am impatient for Natsu to return and that can only happen as soon as this part get finished. I promise I will be bringing him back soon. If not the next chapter, then the one after that :) Oh and fair warning, I've been on spring break so I've been free to write as much as I want. Please don't expect to be getting this many updates on a regular basis from me. It'll probably be once a week at best, or more likely, whenever I get both the chance and the feeling to write. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and follows/favorites!**

**Lizz Cold 790: I tried to describe Jason a little bit for you in here. I tend to not like to describe certain characters too much and Jason is one of them sorry. Hope this helps though! :)**

* * *

As we opened the guild doors, everyone grew quiet. Looking around, I saw that most everybody was huddled around the bar. Upon our entrance, every eye turned to us and seemed to stare specifically at me.

"Lucy!" Suddenly the silence was broken, as Mira surged forward and grabbed onto my hands. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Tell you what, Mira?"

"That you were pregnant!" My mouth dropped open and I stared at her in shock. How in the world did they figure it out! Seeming to catch on to my inability to speak, Levy did so for me.

"How did you...?" Mira waved her hand behind her.

"Wendy heard you talking about it at Fairy Hills. That's beside the point. Lucy how could you not tell me?! I thought we were friends!"

Breaking out of my shock, I turned a guilty face to her. "Of course we are Mira. It was just something of a shock..." She pouted for a moment, then brightened again, an evil glint in her eye.

"So, tell me then, since were such close friends. Who's the father? Is it someone in the guild? Oh Lucy is it Natsu? Or Gray? Or-"

Before she could continue, Jason interrupted her. "Me. Actually." Mira turned her warm gaze to him and seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Wh-what?"

"I knocked princess here up. Bit of an accident really. Shame. She had such a nice body too." I glared at him and Jason flashed me another one of his wicked smiles. "Sorry Princess, but it's the truth."

"Lucy?" Turning my gaze away from Jason, I saw Wendy walking up to me sheepishly. "I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to share your secret..." I smiled and pulled her in for a hug.

"Oh, no worries Wendy. I was coming to tell everyone anyway. You just beat me to it." I smiled widely and she returned it with a small one of her own.

"Wait, who are you though?" Romeo spoke up, staring at Jason intently.

Jason swiped his eyes up and down him once before bowing his head slightly. "Jason Butler. Long time friend of Lucy. I'm sure she's gone on and on about me."

"Never heard of you." Came Gajeel's gruff voice from somewhere behind us.

Turning his head, Jason eyed Gajeel warily. "Why do I get the feeling you're the Gajeel I've been hearing so much about?" Gajeel's eyes widened but he remained silent.

"Jason is staying with me for the time being and...some things-"

"Mistakes." Jason piped in.

"Big mistakes," I amended, "happened and now I'm pregnant." For a moment the entire guild was once again silent, staring at me and Jason in shock; Levy had long since snuck away.

The silence was broken with Mira's squeal. "You're going to be a mom Lucy! Oh congratulations!" Before I even knew what was happening, Mira had me into a hug and was twirling around.

"Mira!" She paused and turned to see a worried Wendy. "The baby..." Immediately, Mira set me down and stepped away.

"Sorry, but I'm just so happy for you! And although he's no Natsu or Gray, Jason is quite handsome. Your child will be so cute!" Waving my hands frantically, I shook my head.

"Oh it's not really like that Mira. Like we said. It was a mistake. And one that we don't plan on repeating EVER again." She smiled at me and shook her head.

"Oh never say never Lucy. That boy has some very good looks. Long dark hair and those dreamy blue eyes? Not mention those luscious lips and that chiseled jaw bone." Following her gaze, I saw that Jason had been captured by the male side of Fairy Tail. He seemed to be maintaining his cool though as Elfman, Macao, Wakaba and Alzack drilled him.

There was no doubt that Jason was handsome. He always had been since the moment we had first been introduced as children. For a time, I even had a bit of a crush on him. Of course, that had ended the moment I caught him trying to sneak a peek at the maids changing. We had been friends for so long that I considered him as a brother. It wasn't until Mira actually pointed it out that I saw him as others must. And I had to admit: Jason looked good. But that didn't change the fact that he was like a brother to me and anything else would have been weird.

"I don't think so Mira, but your more than welcome to take a shot at him." I winked and the white haired mage blushed. "Fair warning though, he's a bit of a handful and has broken his fair share of hearts."

"That's not...I didn't mean...ahhhh!" Mira spluttered trying to recover herself as I giggled.

"Love rival!" Suddenly, Juvia appeared before me, a smile sprawled on her face. "Juvia is so happy! You are no longer a rival for my love!"

I sighed and smiled weakly. "I never was. Gray is ALL yours Juvia." She laughed and threw her arms around me in a hug.

"Juvia is so happy for you and Jason-sama." I awkwardly patted her back as she continued to hold on to me.

My eyes connected with Jason's and he raised an eyebrow, silently asking me if it was working. I nodded slightly and he smiled in return telling me that it was working for him too. Apparently Fairy Tail had completely bought into our fabrication. We had played our parts well.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well hello again! I got bored so I kept writing. :P YAY for you right? This hasn't been all that hard to get out really, which is good. I actually have the next chapter done already but I'm going to wait and put that out either tomorrow or Sunday haha sorry but you guys already got two chapters in one day. Three would be too much ;) I hope you guys like this one, I thought the ending would be kind of funny. Last filler chapter! Natsu returns next chapter! Get pumped for that :D Alright I clearly need some sleep. **

**Thanks again for the reviews and follows/favorites! Each one makes me smile :3**

* * *

For the days that followed my revelation, everyone in the guild bowed to my every request or need. Mira, had practically attached herself to my side and at the slightest indication that I needed anything, she would rush to get it; trampling whoever so happened to be in her way. If it was this bad now, I wondered how bad it would be once I started to show.

"Hey Lucy." I glanced up from my novel to see Levy sitting next to me.

"Hey Levy, what's up?" She nodded towards the papers beneath my hand.

"Is that your book?" I nodded and she grinned. "Is it ready for me yet?" I smiled and shook my head.

"Sorry Levy, but I really haven't had that much time to work on the new chapter. As soon as I'm happy with it I'll show it to you." She pouted for a moment then brightened up.

"So how are things going with everything? So far it seems your problems are gone for the most part."

"Almost, a few key people have been missing though, and I'm sure once they get back things will take a turn for the worse again."

Levy frowned and poked my arm. "Since when have you been so negative Lu-chan?" I opened my mouth to responde but snapped it shut. She was right. My life could be a lot worse then it currently was. I really didn't have that much to complain about, except for my growing rent problem.

"I'm sorry Levy." She raised an eyebrow and I laughed. "Really I am. I've just been thinking about another problem I'm having."

"What's that Lucy?" Mira appeared suddenly in front of me and both Levy and I jumped from surprise.

"Rent money. I can't go on missions anymore but I still need to pay my rent. Plus I'll eventually need to purchase some baby stuff." Feeling tired again, I laid my head down on the bar. "I thought about taking some of the easier jobs, but those aren't always nearby and I don't know how long I'll actually be able to work for."

"Isn't Jason working?" I laughed.

"Mira, Jason hasn't worked a day in his life. I doubt he would last more than five minutes at whatever job he did manage to find."

"Did I hear my name?" Raising my head, I watched as Jason strolled over. "Not gossiping about me are you Princess?"

I rolled my eyes, and laid my head back down. "Not really just discussing your inability to work. Can't risk breaking a nail now can we?" Both Levy and Mira covered their mouths in an effort to repress their giggles.

"I resent that comment and what makes you think I wouldn't be able to take on a job?" Jason brought his face down sideways so he was looking me in the eye. "I've never had one before so you can't say that'd I'd fail."

Blowing air into his face, I responded. "That's exactly why I know you will fail." Jason narrowed his eyes at me before stomping away.

"You just watch Princess, I'll find a job and show you that I can work." I listened for a moment longer as he left the guild before returning my attention to Mira.

"Anyway, Jason is out. Besides I really can't expect him to help pay for anything. He's a guest after all." Suddenly Levy's elbow dug into my side. "OW!"

"But he's the father of your child Lucy...he should be helping!" I flinched as I realized my mistake. "No, I know Mira. It's just that Jason and I are staying friends and all. And I don't know how long he'll actually stick around for. He wants to help, but I'd much rather he let me deal with it all on my own anyway." I hurriedly tried to amend.

"Well...I guess I can understand that." She studied me for a moment longer. "I could always ask master if you could work around here." Latching on to the idea, I eagerly nodded.

"Oh Mira that would be wonderful! Do you think he would agree to that?" She nodded and smiled.

"I've been wanting someone to help me for years and I'd love if it could be you Lucy!"

"Well I think it's a fantastic idea. Good thinking Mira." Levy chimed in. Mira flashed her another smile before returning to serving the other members of fairy tail. I watched her eagerly, impatient to start helping myself.

* * *

"Well I did it!" I looked up from my desk to see Jason striding into my apartment, his arms raised as if waiting for applause.

"Did what exactly?" Dropping his hands he glared at me.

"How can I expect you to bask in my awesomeness when you don't even remember the challenge you gave me?" I gave him a pointed look and he huffed angrily. "You take the fun out of life Princess. A job. I got a job."

My mouth dropped open and I shook my head in disbelief. "No you didn't. There's no way that YOU found work."

He placed a hand over his heart and mimed being wounded."Your words hurt me Princess. How could you doubt me?" He thrust out a slip of paper and I gingerly took it still in disbelief. "Read that and try to deny it once more." Doing as he said, my eyes danced across the page, growing wide.

It said that he had been hired at a local restaurant to help serve food and clean tables. "You're going to be a bus boy?" He frowned and ripped the page from my hands again.

"Waiter you twit." I looked at him for a moment longer before bursting out into laughter. "What?"

"You're-you are going to serve people?! YOU?" Jason frowned as tears formed in my eyes from laughing so hard.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Ten jewels says you get fired within the first hour."

"What makes you say that?" He asked defensively. I shook my head and returned to my work. There was no way I was going to warn him.

"Fine! I'll take that bet. You just watch Lucy Heartfilia! Tomorrow afternoon you will be handing me ten jewels as I come home from a successful day at work." He stomped over to the bed and angrily thrust himself into it, not bothering to even undress.

* * *

"ARGGG!" Looking up from my desk again, I watched as Jason slammed my door closed and threw his key on the table. Sneaking a glance at the clock, I bit back a laugh.

"What happened?"

Jason's head snapped in my direction and he practically growled at me. "Shut up!" He screamed as he threw a handful of jewels at me.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: You lot are seriously getting spoiled by me...all the stories that I follow haven't been updated in FOREVER and here I am doing like my sixth this week...geez. Hopefully you won't get mad when they slow down...I will try but school seriously suppresses my creative ability. It sucks! Let me know if there's anything you think I did wrong about Natsu here! Thanks for the favs/follows and reviews! Keep it up and I might just keep writing ;) jk I'll keep going whether you like it or not! :p**

* * *

"AHHHH!" Startled, my eyes jerked open and I stumbled up and over to the light switch. Flipping it on, I turned towards my bed, rubbing my eyes.

"Jace it's like 2 AM. What's with all the screaming?" Yawning, I slowly blinked my eyes open only to see Jason still in bed with Natsu straddling him, his fist engulfed in flames. "Natsu?" Both males turned their eyes to me; Natsu's furious and Jason's frightened.

"Who is this guy Luce? And why is he in your fucking bed?" I raised my eyes to look back at Natsu who was still on top of Jason. Before I could answer, Jason spoke up.

"Jason Butler at your service. And you good, and I do mean good, sir seem to be in need of a doctor." At that my eyes flashed down to Natsu's chest and I saw he had multiple cuts and bruises dotting across him, many of which looked serious.

"Natsu! Why didn't you go to the guild and find Wendy?!" Rushing forward, I carefully drew Natsu off of Jason and onto the edge of the bed. "Now sit here while I clean you up." Natsu's face remained dark, but he stayed put as I located the first aid kit that I kept for times like this, I knelt down in front of Natsu and gently began caring for his wounds. Both Natsu and Jason sat quietly; Natsu watching me and Jason watching both of us.

"Where's Happy?" I asked as I finished dealing with the last cut; a long scratch that had stretched from the top of his chest down to his stomach.

"Looking for Carla." Natsu answered gruffly. I looked up at him curiously. I'd never seen him act like this unless he was facing down some deadly enemy before.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Natsu shook his head and I couldn't help but glance at Jason who shrugged. Looking back at Natsu, who's face seemed to have grown even darker, I tried again. "When did you guys get back?"

"I dunno. A little while ago?" Natsu shrugged and continued to glare down at the floor.

"And the first thing you do is come crash Princess's house?" Jason asked and Natsu finally raised his head to look at him. His glare seemed to intensify if that was possible, but he remained silent.

Figuring he wasn't about to answer, I sighed and spoke for him. "Natsu has a problem with boundaries, Jace. He thinks its normal to burst into a person's room in the middle of the night." I kept my voice light as I spoke, not wishing to upset Natsu further. Whatever was bothering him must have been serious.

"How'd you get in anyway? Don't you lock the door Lucy?" I opened my mouth, but Natsu answered instead.

"The window. She never locks it." Jason nodded as if he understood, but I could tell he was burning to ask more question. After all he had only heard me and the guild speak about Natsu and here he was meeting him for the first time. I didn't doubt that inside Jason was battling between jumping his bones right there and smacking him upside the head for all that he put me through.

"Alrighty then. How about I go for a late night walk and let the two of you talk for a bit? I get the feeling that I'm slightly unwanted..." He trailed off as he stood up and made his way to the door.

"Jace, that's not-" I started but he only shook his head.

"It's fine princess. Who knows maybe I'll run into someone...interesting." He winked as he strode out the door. An awkward silence seemed to follow his departure and I stubbornly refused to break it. Natsu had been the one to break into my house and I'd already tried to get him to talk. If he wanted to, he'd do it on his own.

"You never answered me." I raised my eyes and caught Natsu staring at me.

"About what exactly?" He huffed and pointedly looked up at my ceiling.

"Why was he in your bed?" I furrowed my brows in confusion. Since when did it matter to him who was in my bed. Then again the only person I had ever really shared it before was Natsu, but still he never seemed to worry about it before.

"He's staying with me for a while. He's a good friend." I smiled hoping that Natsu would return to normal, but he remained moody. "Seriously Natsu, what's bothering you? Did the mission go alright? Is Lisanna okay?"

His head snapped back to look at me and he tilted his head curiously at me. "Why do you keep asking about the mission. It was fine. Everyone is fine."

"Then why are you being so grumpy?" I snapped and he studied me for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"It's nothing, Luce. Forget it." His face slowly spread into his normal smile, albeit a strained one. "I'm starved. Do you have any food?"

I rolled my eyes, but decided it wasn't worth getting upset over. I hadn't seen him in weeks and obviously something was bothering him. Besides it wouldn't be long until I had to break the news to him about the baby and he already didn't seem to be too keen on Jason. "Come on. I'll make you a sandwich or something. Just don't get used to it. This isn't a restaurant."

Natsu laughed and followed me to the kitchen. "Sit down while I make them. How many do you want?" He shrugged as he sat down and I sighed. No doubt I'd have to go shopping tomorrow. Natsu always managed to clean out my fridge whenever he was over.

Finishing up a pile of small sandwiches, I sat down across from Natsu and watched him as he began to eat. It had been almost three weeks since I had last seen him, but nevertheless my heart still responded to him. From the moment I had started to wrap up his wounds, my heart had speed up slightly.

Placing my chin on my hand, I studied his face. What was it that had been so enraptured? It wasn't as if he was extremely handsome or anything. I mean he was good looking, but nothing compared to Jason. And sure he had one of the best bodies at the guild, but that usually wasn't something I was interested in. When I had first met him, everything about him had been...strange. So why did I find it not only familiar but comforting now? Maybe it wasn't his looks that had gotten me...maybe it was more his personality. Then again, I had found that just as strange at once point. Compared to the kind of guys my dad had constantly introduced to me, Natsu was by no means quick on his feet. Sometimes he could be really dumb, but at other points he could read people better than anyone else in the guild. He knew when one of his friends was upset practically before they did. Which probably coupled with his loyalty. Never before had I ever met someone who was so loyal to his friends, his namaka. Plus he didn't seem to know the meaning of giving up, he always fought with all his strength. Doing his best to protect his family. There was no one else like him in the guild or probably in the entire world. So maybe there wasn't anything specific that I had fallen in love with; more just for him being him.

"Lucy," Natsu's voice cut through my thoughts and dragged me back into the present. "You're being weird." He frowned as he took another bite.

I pouted and rolled my eyes. "Shut up and eat your sandwich. Between the two of us, clearly you're the strange one.

* * *

I yawned as Natsu finished what had to be his tenth sandwich, I'd been fighting to stay awake for almost an hour now and finally, Natsu seemed to notice.

"Are you tired Luce?" He asked and I bit back a sarcastic reply and simply nodded. "Why didn't you say so?" I shrugged, my eyes half closed.

Suddenly, strong arms had lifted me out of my seat and were carrying me across the room to my bed. "Natsu?" I murmured already being lulled to sleep. "Go to sleep Lucy." He commanded as he turned off my light and crawled into bed beside me.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long but like I said, my friends and I were dealing with something seriously tragic. There are some really aweful people in this world. Anyway thanks for being so great and patient with me! I'll try to keep updating weekly again now. And thanks for the great reviews and follows/favs; I never would have thought this would so popular :)**

**Some of you have seriously hilarious reactions to the whole Natsu forgetting having sex with Lucy and I honestly feel like you may be missing out on a few key details...let's see how long it takes for you to figure it out 3**

**lilpumpkingirl: Thanks for pointing that out! Usually I add too many commas, but your right I defs should be putting those in haha sorry. And I didn't even realize it was out yet until you told me and OMG those episodes GAH! THe beginning and the ending created so many Nalu feels and it just needs to be canon at this point! Everybody knows its gonna happen!**

**Russia is mine: I could always change the story ;) Haha Natsu stared down in horror at the beautiful blonde mage. How had he allowed her to get hurt? How had he hurt her? Despite his questions though, he couldn't hide the part of him that relished in the feel of her blood or euphoria he had felt when he had stabbed her and watched as the light went out of her eyes... whatcha think? ;p (****I don't really know what/who Jeff the killer is tho)**

******Cana-ann: don't worry I've thought about the whole scent change thing and looked into the morning sickness too. Glad to hear that my writing is improving as this goes along too! Thanks :)**

******Sorry this is a short update but I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing this so I'm also sorry if its not up to my usual chapters. I'll try to do better on the next update which should be coming in the next few days. Once again I know I suck for taking so long to update but thanks for supporting me with this situation. You guys are really amazing 3**

* * *

From somewhere above my head, came the sound of a bird chirping. Groaning, I turned over and felt myself roll onto a warm and hard body. Immediately, my eyes snapped open and I jumped away from the still sleeping Natsu.

"Awake are we?" Shrieking at the sound, I whirled around to see a slightly smirking Jason studying me as he sipped his morning coffee. Wide-eyed, I glanced back to where Natsu lay, wondering if my scream had woken him, only to see that he was still. Looking back at Jason, I opened my mouth to explain, but he interrupted me. "Is this normal between you two? Sharing a bed together?" Despite myself I blushed and he nodded as if that answered his question. "And yet you maintain that he's in love with another woman."

I flinched. "It's...complicated Jace. He doesn't understand what's proper like you and me. And I've long since given up trying to explain it to him, and besides...it's kind of nice." Jason raised an eyebrow and I felt my cheeks grow even warmer. "I mean...he's warm. Like a furnace...my own personal heater."

"Or a personal torture device. Princess, it's the middle of Spring. You don't need a heater. We both know what's going on and it needs to stop." His eyes flashed to Natsu for a moment before returning to mine. "If this thing," he gestured to both of us. "Between us is going to work; he has to go. I won't watch you do this to yourself Lucy. I refuse." My eyes drifted back to Natsu. There was a dark frown on his face as he slept and I wondered briefly if he was having some sort of nightmare.

I'd said I was ready to let go of my feelings for Natsu and just be friends, but that would take time and the easiest way to do that would be to cut all ties with him for awhile. It would mean putting an end to him staying the night; to him raiding my kitchen; to the back breaking but comforting hugs; and to the trust we'd forged between us over the last few years. He was my best friend and I was madly, deeply, and completely in love with him; but Jason was right: it needed to stop. All of it. I was only hurting myself in the long run and there was a chance some one would figure out the truth. It would be hard enough if the baby had Natsu's bright pink hair, but if Natsu and I were still this close in nine months and the baby came out looking anything like him...the truth would be obvious.

Besides, I'd been adamant that Natsu and Lisanna were meant to be. Hell that was why we'd come up with this whole fake story. It wasn't right for Natsu to be staying the night, sleeping in my bed, when he was supposed to be with Lisanna. Clearly he loved her. It would be selfish of me to let this continue.

Bringing my eyes back to Jason's, I nodded my agreement. "You're right." As I spoke, a small tear escaped from my left eye and ran down my face.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:  Hello again faithful readers! Woot the updating on a regular basis is officially kicking off again. Once more, I'm really sorry for my extended absence and I love all of you who supported me and waited patiently for me to return. So I don't know how well this chapter is going to go over-Natsu may seem a little ooc but I promise I am going somewhere with all of this craziness. I really do like this chapter though, mostly because Natsu is officially back! Thanks for following/favoriting and keep reviewing! It makes me want to write more and more! 3**

**Enecs: haha well that would be a little obvious...I think there'd be no way for Lucy to hide it then...well unless I decided to be evil and make Jason a fire mage :p haha no worries. I promise it will all work out!**

**Everyone is a Friend: So I've been meaning to look into the whole creepypasta thing, but I've had my hands full between school, friends and my other obsessions(I have wayyyyy too many and its becoming a serious problem.) But next time I have a set amount of free time I will definitely introduce myself to creepypasta. I'm leaving little hints about Jason's power, but he obviously isn't one for strength so it may take another few chapters for it to be revealed. There's a teaser in this chapter though ;)**

**Once again thanks to every single one of you who expressed concern about my friend. He's doing...better but it'll take time for him to recover. Keep him in your prayers!**

* * *

"Luuishi..." Jerking, I turned to see that Natsu was awake and both of his eyes were glued to my face. "Why are you crying?" His eyes narrowed to slits as he practically growled the question, flashing behind me to Jason and then back.

For a moment, I froze. If he was asking that, it must mean that he hadn't been awake for the rest of our conversation. Right? "I-I," as I stuttered, my mind grasped wildly for an appropriate explanation. "Jason and I were talking and he reminded me of something I have to do. And...it made me sad." My words sounded weak and unsure even to me, I just hoped that Natsu's normal obliviousness would cover for that.

He was silent, as if contemplating my answer and in that moment, everything was still. Until suddenly, Natsu had launched himself off my bed and landed directly next to Jason. Gripping him in one hand, Natsu held back the other threateningly. "You made Lucy cry?!" His voice was almost a roar and I sat still, to shell-shocked to think properly, let alone move. I'd never seen Natsu get so defensive over me. I'd cried before, and never had he reacted so violently against because of it, unless they were an enemy. But even then, there'd been something else to ignite the fire that drove him.

Jason scoffed at him. "I made her cry? Maybe if your ead wasn't stuck so far up your ass, you'd realize why she's really upset!"

I bit my lip as the two men stared each other down; one furious and the other sneering. Too fearful of what my interference might cause, I remained motionless, hoping that Jason knew what he was doing. He was doing his best to stand up for me without outright saying that Natsu was the whole reason I was upset at all, but I was worried he may have gone too far. If Natsu caught on, everything we had worked to set up would blow up in our faces.

"And what," Natsu spoke slowly. "Is that supposed to mean, bastard?" Jason sighed and looked pointedly at me.

"It means, Lucy is supposed to be your best friend and yet you don't even know why she's upset. You're too busy doting over your girl-" I shook my head sharply and he quickly rephrased. "Your friend then, Lisanna, to even notice. She shouldn't have to tell you what's going on. You should know already!" Bit by bit, Natsu relaxed his grip on Jason, as his words sunk in. Turning to face me, Natsu's face was akin to that of a wounded puppy and it tore me up to think that I had caused him to feel so much guilt.

"Luce...?" He spoke at the same time I said, "Natsu." We stared at each other for a moment longer,; each seeming at a loss for the right words.

"Lucy, if this is about what happened before the mission..." I smiled softly and shook my head before he could continue.

"It's not about you guys replacing me with Lisanna." Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "To be honest, that was almost a blessing. I need time away from our Team and it's good to know it was a mutual choice. At least, of sorts..." His expression was in total shock, as if I had slapped him.

"You wanted to be off our Team? You didn't want to be my partner anymore?" His expression sent a shock wave of pain through my heart.

"No that's not it Natsu, at least not really. I loved having you as my partner, but it just won't work anymore. I can't do it." His eyes widened even further and again my heart dropped. "No, no I'm not saying this right!" I threw my hands up to cover my face. "Why is this so hard, talking to you?!" I already knew the answer to that question. Because unlike all the other members of the guild Natsu was the only I was truly terrified of telling my lie to. So often he could see right through me and always seemed to know what I was really thinking. If he saw through this lie, everything would be over and I'd ruin his life and happiness. I dreaded the reaction I would get once I told him.

"Lucy," Natsu's voice was so soft that I couldn't help but glance out from between my fingers at him. "What can't you tell me? We're partners remember?" I fought the urge to correct him on his last statement. He'd ended our partnership. He'd replaced me with another girl after stomping all over my heart. He had no right to call us partners anymore.

Suddenly, my mind filled with rage, and I snapped back at him. "Partners? Partners! We are not partners and honestly, I don't think we ever were. All I was to you was a filler. Someone to pass the time with until **she** came back! Why can't I tell you what's bothering me? Because I can't trust you! Everything we've been through together and it's gone in one day! All the happiness I found at Fairy Tail got taken from me, by the very person who brought me there in the first place! If it wasn't for all the other friends I now have there, I would have left the day you kicked me off the Team! All I have ever been to you is a hindrance! I know that now." As quickly as my anger had taken a hold of me, it vanished and in its wake, all the sadness and grief I'd been keeping at bay poured in. So many people had left me in my life, whether by their own choice or not, but I'd never expected Natsu to be one of them. His loyalty towards his friends had made me believe that he would always be there for me. It was part of what I'd fallen for. But in reality he was one of the people who'd abandoned me.

"Lucy..." As my name slipped carelessly from his mouth, tears formed in my eyes and spilled over onto my cheeks.

"Alright, that's enough you two." Jason stood and walked over to where I was sobbing. "You, Princess, are a hormonal wreck and need some more sleep. And you, Mister Sexy Dragon Slayer, need to apologize. I don't care why you did what you did or whatever excuse you want to come up with. Apologize. NOW." Grasped in Jason's arms, I could feel his magic begin to surface; making my hair stand on end.

"No." I managed to choke out through my tears. Both men turned their gazes from one another and back to me. Taking a deep breath, I shakingly spoke. "Natsu, you don't have to do that. I'm not mad, honest."

"Says the hyperventilating, half-drowned woman." Ignoring Jason, I slowly raised my eyes to Natus's.

His face was scary calm. The way he used to be when anyone brought up Lisanna or Igneel. But despite the wall he was trying to put up, I could see through it. I knew him well enough to see it: the self-loathing he was desperately trying to hide. Like with the other two, he was blaming himself for failing in protecting his namaka.

"Natsu, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, any of it. I promise. It's just a lot of things have been happening all at once recently, and its overwhelming. Even if I'm currently not a part of the Team, Natsu, I know you and I will always be partners." Finishing, I watched him, waiting for his wall to drop; praying to Mavis I hadn't closed him off to me forever.

Thankfully, I hadn't. "Lucy, you know that I've never thought of you as weak. You're one of the strongest people in Fairy Tail!" I smiled at his utter conviction. "And you're my best friend, my namaka, my m-..." he stumbled over his words for a second and I furrowed my brow in confusion. "My Lucy. You could never be a replacement or be replaced." A smile stretched across my entire face at his words. Without even pausing to consider that only a half hour earlier I'd decided to let Natsu go, I bounded forward and wrapped my arms around his broad chest.

"Gag me. You two are sickening." Releasing Natsu, I turned to tell Jason to 'fuck off' when I felt Natsu's arms tighten around me.

Half turning, I opened my mouth to ask what he was doing, but froze as he brought his face to my neck and sniffed.

"Luce, why do you smell weird?"


End file.
